Treatments in Conventional Medicine and Their Limitations
Conventional medicine prescribes anticoagulants for stroke prevention and uses drugs (such as beta-blockers) to lower the heart rate, or performs antiarrhythmic drug therapy, cardioversion, or Catheter Ablation to normalize the rhythm.
[Limitations and Critical Perspective]
Procedures like catheter ablation or cardioversion may be effective in removing abnormal signals in the short term, but since our body is organically connected, if the fundamental environment of the heart muscle is not improved, abnormal signals will arise again from other areas, causing recurrence at any time.
The fact that many patients visit us because atrial fibrillation recurred even after multiple procedures proves the limitations of local treatments that fail to see the forest for the trees.
Furthermore, potent antiarrhythmic drugs used to forcefully suppress the pulse can drop cardiac output, leading to extreme fatigue or toxicity in the lungs and thyroid.
In particular, we must not blindly trust Statins prescribed for prevention, as they can deplete Coenzyme Q10, the energy source of the heart muscle, potentially reducing its contractility and vitality in the long term.
BM's Integrative Solution: Designing Cardiopulmonary Stability by Balancing Chemical and Natural Substances
We do not divide medicine by the old dichotomy of 'Western medicine and herbal medicine.'
There are only artificially synthesized chemical drugs and natural substances (herbal medicine) derived from nature.
Based on Korean Medicine diagnosis theory, BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic provides true integrative treatment by operating and controlling the actions of chemical drugs according to Korean Medicine principles during emergencies or when potent suppression is needed, while utilizing natural substances and acupuncture for long-term improvement of the heart muscle's environment.
- Invigorating Blood and Removing Stasis (Hwal-hyeol-geo-eo / 活血祛瘀): Using core natural substances like Nardostachys, Salvia, and Notoginseng to gently loosen hardened scars (fibrosis) in the heart muscle and fundamentally improve the environment where abnormal signals circulate through multi-ion channel regulation.
- Tonifying Heart and Lung (Bo-ik-sim-pye / 補益心肺): Replenishing exhausted energy with herbs like Ginseng, Astragalus, and Ophiopogon to help the heart's regular pumping action from deep within.
- Acupuncture: Stimulating acupoints like Neiguan (PC6) and Shenmen (HT7) to balance the autonomic nervous system and relieve anxiety and stress experienced after procedures.
- Lifestyle Redesign (Health Freedom Camp): Through the HF Camp, we completely correct systemic risk factors and inflammatory diets that aggravate atrial fibrillation, such as obesity, sleep apnea, and hypertension.
Improving the conditions around the heart to create a body environment where arrhythmia cannot occur is the completion of treatment.
Modern Korean Medicine Based on Global Research Results (Scientific Evidence)
Modern Korean Medicine does not stay in the past but integrates conventional medicine by actively accepting global clinical data.
The following research demonstrates that acupuncture and core natural substances are better alternatives or powerful adjunctive therapies compared to the chemical drugs or procedures of the conventional medical system.
- Efficacy of Acupuncture in Preventing Atrial Fibrillation Recurrences After Electrical Cardioversion A 12-month follow-up study of 80 patients who successfully underwent cardioversion showed that the group receiving acupuncture at points like Neiguan, Shenmen, and Xinshu had a recurrence rate (35 percent) equivalent to the group taking Amiodarone (27 percent), the most potent chemical drug. Acupuncture was proven to be a very safe and effective alternative for maintaining normal rhythm by stabilizing the autonomic nervous system without the fatal thyroid or lung toxicity associated with Amiodarone.
- Lomuscio A, Belletti S, Battezzati PM, Lombardi F. Efficacy of acupuncture in preventing atrial fibrillation recurrences after electrical cardioversion. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology. 2011;22(3):241-247. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.2010.01878.x
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- Anti-arrhythmic Effects and Safety of Core Natural Substances Regulating Multi-Ion Channels Analysis of 2,469 patients showed that treatment groups using core natural substances like Nardostachys and Notoginseng had no difference in efficacy compared to potent conventional chemical drugs like Amiodarone or Propafenone. Conversely, they showed overwhelming safety, with almost no occurrences of common side effects like bradycardia or hypotension. This demonstrates that treatments using core natural substances are excellent alternatives that overcome the limitations of chemical drugs.
- Wang X, Wang Y, Feng XY, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on Wenxin keli. Drug Design Development and Therapy. 2016;Volume 10:3725-3736. doi:10.2147/dddt.s112333
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- Improvement in Quality of Life and Anxiety with Acupuncture Post-Catheter Ablation A prospective cohort study of patients who received catheter ablation found that combining acupuncture not only increased sinus rhythm conversion rates but also statistically significantly improved Treatment Anxiety and quality of life scores. This shows that acupuncture is an essential integrative medical procedure that reduces the fear of frequent recurrence and aids psychological stability.
- Liu Y. Acupuncture-Assisted catheter ablation in the Treatment of atrial fibrillation: A Prospective Cohort study. Preprints.org. Published online September 27, 2024. doi:10.20944/preprints202409.2126.v1
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